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The concern about how the Toronto Star refers to the people who call themselves the “alt-right” was first raised in our newsroom by Ed Tubb, the Star’s deputy foreign editor, in the days immediately following the election of Donald Trump as president of the United States.

“I think we should have a discussion on how we’re using the terms ‘alt-right’ and ‘white nationalist,’ both of which I think we’ve been using lazily and euphemistically,” said Tubb, who spends considerable time every day monitoring and editing stories from the Star’s wire services.

In handling dozens of reports about the U.S. election, he had seen inconsistencies — and in some cases outright inaccuracies — in references to the “alt-right” movement of racist right-wing extremists who supported Trump. “We’re all over the place on how we define it, especially in wire copy,” Tubb said, concerned that the vague, euphemistic label is confusing to readers and doesn’t accurately reflect what the so-called alt-right actually stands for.

Indeed, that same concern was raised by some readers too. As one woman said in an email last week, the term alt-right is, “an ambiguous and fairly neutral term for a group that could also be described as ‘white supremacist’, ‘new KKK’ and many other more accurate labels.

“We call on the media to be clear about who and what they are, and to not obfuscate in a way that will allow them to gain acceptance borne of ignorance of their true values, beliefs and intentions,” she said. “Clearly naming them, not calling them ‘the alt-right’ would be a good start.”

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As a result of these concerns, several senior Star editors met to discuss this issue. In order to seek some measure of consistency, we decided to consult further with our main wire services – The Canadian Press and the U.S. based Associated Press.

This week, both services issued “style notes” on how to refer to the self-labeled alt-right. The Star followed with a newsroom-wide note from Tubb outlining how we will deal with this.

The main points to guide Star journalists in writing and editing:

Avoid using alt-right generically.

“We should strive to be accurate and precise, and at least for now, the term ‘alt-right.’ is neither. Terms like ‘white nationalist’ or ‘white supremacist’ are known, accurate and much clearer to readers.”

If you use the term alt-right, define it.

“Phrasing like ‘the ‘alt-right,’ a white nationalist movement’ is appropriate.”

In its lengthy note to newsrooms throughout the world, the Associated Press provided a clear definition of the alt-right, telling us that it’s a name embraced by “some white supremacists and white nationalists to refer to themselves and their ideology, which emphasizes preserving and protecting the white race in the United States.”

And, it adds, “the movement criticizes ‘multiculturalism’ and more rights for non-whites, women, Jews, Muslims, gays, immigrants and other minorities. Its members reject the American democratic ideal that all should have equality under the law regardless of creed, gender, ethnic origin or race.”

The AP’s central guidance is aligned with the Star’s approach on this vague term that does little to tell us of prejudice inherent in the “alt-right” ideology and what its believers stand for. As the AP states, “the term may exist primarily as a public-relations device to make its supporters’ actual beliefs less clear and more acceptable to a broader audience.”

With all that’s at stake here, journalists must not rely on euphemistic words that gloss over racism and hate. As the AP rightly tells us, be specific and call it straight: “We should not limit ourselves to letting such groups define themselves, and instead should report their actions, associations, history and positions to reveal their actual beliefs and philosophy, as well as how others see them.”

Language matters. It is our job as journalists to provide readers with accurate, clear and precise words that tell it like it is, not veil reality. We should not serve as unquestioning heralds for those who espouse ideology abhorrent to universal values of equality.

To be clear: the so-called alt-right stands for white supremacy. By any definition, that is racism.

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